'Just the perfect guy': Family remembers father, husband who was fatally crushed at McDonald's drive-thru
The family of a Maple Ridge man says they are in shock after the tragic death of Tony Eyles Wednesday morning at a busy McDonald’s drive-thru.
Eyles’ brother-in-law, Neal Pender, says he was “the kind of guy who would give you the shirt off his back."
“He was just the most doting father and the most loving husband…he was just the perfect guy,” Pender described.
Vancouver police did not identify Eyles as the victim, but said that Wednesday’s fatality was caused when the driver of the vehicle dropped his payment card. He ended up being pinned when the car rolled forward while he reached for the card.
Pender said Eyles, 42, lived with his family in Maple Ridge, but his job as an elevator mechanic would frequently bring him to downtown Vancouver.
Eyles leaves behind a wife, and two young children.
“The kids are understandably not fully grasping it. We’ve just tried to surround them with as much family as we can,” Pender said.
Two online fundraising pages have been launched to help the family, one by Eyles’ co-workers, and the other by family friends.
By Thursday night, the combined total raised exceeded $20,000.
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